破魔

Japanese

Kanji in this term
破	魔
は Grade: 5	ま Grade: S
on’yomi

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) は​ま [háꜜmà] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ha̠ma̠]

Etymology 1

Buddhist term, imported into Japanese when Buddhism was introduced to Japan, some time during the Kofun, Asuka, and Nara periods.

Appears to be from Middle Chinese compound 破魔 (MC phaH ma, literally “break + demon”).

Alternately, could be a Japanese coinage using Middle Chinese elements, as a compound of Middle Chinese-derived 破 (ha, “break, destroy”) +‎ 魔 (ma, “demon, devil”).

Noun

破(は)魔(ま) • (hama) 

1. (Buddhism) defeating a devil or demon, particularly the demons of worldly desires or passions

Derived terms

• 破魔士 (はまし, ​hamashi): an exorcist (Buddhism)
• 破魔術 (はまふつま, ​hamajutsu): exorcism (Buddhism; the technique of exorcising, rather than the act of doing so)

Related terms

• (exorcise; specific to Christianity): 祓魔 (ふつま, ​futsuma)
• (driving away evil spirits in general): 悪魔払い, 悪魔祓い (あくまばらい, ​akumabarai); 魔除け (まよけ, ​mayoke)

Verb

破(は)魔(ま)する • (hama suru) suru (stem 破(は)魔(ま)し (hama shi), past 破(は)魔(ま)した (hama shita))

1. (Buddhism) to defeat a devil or demon, particularly the demons of worldly desires or passions

Conjugation

Conjugation of "破魔する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	破魔し	はまし	hama shi
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	破魔し	はまし	hama shi
Shūshikei ("terminal")	破魔する	はまする	hama suru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	破魔する	はまする	hama suru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	破魔すれ	はますれ	hama sure
Meireikei ("imperative")	破魔せよ¹ 破魔しろ²	はませよ¹ はましろ²	hama seyo¹ hama shiro²
Key constructions
Passive	破魔される	はまされる	hama sareru
Causative	破魔させる 破魔さす	はまさせる はまさす	hama saseru hama sasu
Potential	破魔できる	はまできる	hama dekiru
Volitional	破魔しよう	はましよう	hama shiyō
Negative	破魔しない	はましない	hama shinai
Negative continuative	破魔せず	はませず	hama sezu
Formal	破魔します	はまします	hama shimasu
Perfective	破魔した	はました	hama shita
Conjunctive	破魔して	はまして	hama shite
Hypothetical conditional	破魔すれば	はますれば	hama sureba
¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative

Etymology 2

Unknown. The kanji are ateji (当て字).

Possibly cognate with 嵌める, 填める (hameru, “to fit or set one thing into another”), by way of the Old Japanese form 填む, 嵌む (​hamu).

Noun

破(は)魔(ま) • (hama) 

1. a target for 破魔矢 (hamaya) archery, round and generally made of bound straw or tree branches
2. short for 破魔弓 (hamayumi): a decorative bow, formerly used for special New Years archery competitions and now used as a ward against evil

Derived terms

• 破(は)魔(ま)矢(や) (hamaya): a decorative arrow used as a ward against evil
• 破(は)魔(ま)弓(ゆみ) (hamayumi): decorative bow used to shoot a hamaya, given to boys as a toy at New Years